Rig Veda 5.64.4: Mandala 5, Sukta 64, Mantra 4
Sukta 5.64
- Rishi
- Atri
- Devata
- Mitra–Varuṇa
- Chandas
- Triṣṭubh
- Rasa
- Vira (heroism) and Adbhuta (wonder)
युवाभ्यां मित्रावरुणोपमं धेयामृचा । यद्ध क्षये मघोनां स्तोतॄणां च स्पूर्धसे ॥
yuvā́bhyāṃ mitrāvaruṇopamáṃ dheyām ṛcā́ | yád dha kṣáye maghónāṃ stotṝṇā́ṃ ca spū́rdhase ||
ຕໍ່ທ່ານທັງສອງ ມິຕຣ ແລະ ວາຣຸນ ຂໍໃຫ້ຂ້າພະເຈົ້າສັດທາຍິງດ້ວຍບົດສັດທາທີ່ເໝາະສົມ ດ້ວຍວ່າໃນທີ່ຢູ່ອັນສະຫງ່າງາມ ທ່ານພະຍາຍາມເພື່ອຜູ້ມີຄວາມໃຈກວ້າງ ແລະ ຜູ້ຮ້ອຍສັດທາ
Word by Word
- युवाभ्याम्
- by you two (with you two)Pronounद्विवचन, तृतीया-विभक्ति (इन्स्ट्रुमेण्टल)Role करणRoot युव (प्रातिपदिक) < युष्मद् (युवाम्-प्रयोगः) / द्वितीयपुरुष-द्विवचन सर्वनाम
- मित्रावरुणौ
- Mitra and VaruṇaNounपुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, द्विवचनRole कर्तृRoot मित्र + वरुण (देवनाम-प्रातिपदिक) (द्वन्द्व)
- उपमम्
- a likeness; a fitting comparisonAdjective/Nounनपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole कर्मRoot उपम (प्रातिपदिक) < उपमा
- धेयाम्
- may I place/composeVerbविधिलिङ् (optative), उत्तमपुरुष, एकवचन, परस्मैपदRole क्रियाRoot धा (धातु) ‘to place, set, establish’
- ऋचा
- with a verseNounस्त्रीलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole करणRoot ऋच्/ऋचा (प्रातिपदिक) ‘ṛc, verse’
- यत्
- which/that (fact that)Pronoun (relative)नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया, एकवचनRole सम्बन्धRoot यद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
- ह
- indeedIndeclinableनिपात (emphatic/confirmatory)Root ह (निपात)
- क्षये
- in the dwelling; at homeNounपुंलिङ्ग, सप्तमी-विभक्ति, एकवचनRole अधिकरणRoot क्षय (प्रातिपदिक) < √क्षि ‘to dwell’ (निवास/आवास) अथवा ‘क्षय’ ‘abode’
- मघोनाम्
- of the generous (patrons)Noun/Adjectiveपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root मघवन् (प्रातिपदिक) ‘bountiful, generous’
- स्तोतॄणाम्
- of the praisersNounपुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचनRole सम्बन्ध (षष्ठी)Root स्तोतृ (प्रातिपदिक) < √स्तु ‘to praise’
- च
- andIndeclinableसमुच्चयार्थक-अव्ययRoot च (निपात)
- स्पूर्धसे
- you vie/contend (with them)Verbलट् (present indicative), मध्यमपुरुष, एकवचन, आत्मनेपदRole क्रियाRoot स्पर्ध्/स्पूर्ध् (धातु) ‘to vie, contend, rival’
Sandhi Notes
- संहिता-पाठ: युवाभ्यां मित्रावरुणोपमं धेयामृचा । यद्ध क्षये मघोनां स्तोतॄणां च स्पूर्धसे ॥ Sandhi resolution: (1) मित्रावरुणोपमम् = मित्रावरुणौ + उपमम् (ओ + उ → ओ; द्वन्द्व-प्रथमा-द्विवचन + कर्मपद)
- (2) धेयामृचा = धेयाम् + ऋचा (म् + ऋ → मृ; परसवर्ण-सन्धि/संहिता-लोप)
- (3) यद्ध = यत् + ह (त् + ह → द्ध; जश्त्व + द्वित्व)
The meaning
Outer meaning
To you two, Mitra and Varuṇa, may I set a hymn of fitting measure; for in the dwelling you strive on behalf of the bounteous and the singers.
Inner meaning
The poet seeks to ‘place’ (dheyām) an upama hymn—speech that is rightly proportioned to the truth it invokes. In Aurobindonian terms, right mantra is a formation of consciousness: measured, exact, and luminous. Mitra–Varuṇa ‘strive’ (spūrdhase) in the kṣaya (dwelling) of the being: they actively contest against disorder so that the ‘maghonāṃ’ (those with plenitude—inner richness, generosity of consciousness) and ‘stotṝṇām’ (the voices of aspiration) may grow and prevail.
Universal truth
Right speech and right measure invite higher powers to work within us; when our expression is true and proportionate, the divine forces contend for our inner abundance and aspiration.
Themes
Right-measured-hymn, Establishing-order, Divine-striving, Community-protection
The seer
- Rishi
- Atri (Ātreya)
- Lineage
- Ātreya (Atri-gotra)
- Other hymns
- RV 5.1 (Agni as priest and builder), RV 5.62–5.65 (Aditya order and guidance)
Family tradition
Ātreya poetry values ‘measure’ and effective mantra as a tool of inner transformation; the seer positions himself as a builder of consciousness-forms.
Significance
Atri’s approach highlights the craft of mantra—right speech as a yogic technology inviting divine action.
The deity
- Devata
- Mitra–Varuṇa
- Epithets
- mitrāvaruṇā (dual sovereigns)
- Related deities
- Agni (mantra-carrier), Bṛhaspati (lord of speech), Indra (force of illumination against obstruction)
Cosmic role
They maintain the dwelling of the worlds—social, cosmic, and psychological—by enforcing harmony and truth-law.
Inner power
They refine speech and intention into right measure and then actively protect the inner ‘house’ so abundance and aspiration can flourish.
In ritual
Where it is used
Composition/recitation of stotra within Soma ritual; also used as a poet’s self-offering (mantra as oblation).
यु॒वाभ्यां॑ मित्रावरुणोप॒मं धे॑यामृ॒चा । यद्ध॒ क्षये॑ म॒घोनां॑ स्तोतॄ॒णां च॑ स्पू॒र्धसे॑ ॥
यु॒वाभ्या॑म् । मि॒त्रा॒व॒रु॒णा॒ । उ॒प॒ऽमम् । धे॒या॒म् । ऋ॒चा । यत् । ह॒ । क्षये॑ । म॒घोना॑म् । स्तो॒तॄ॒णाम् । च॒ । स्पू॒र्धसे॑ ॥
yuvābhyām | mitrāvaruṇā | upa-mam | dheyām | ṛcā | yat | ha | kṣaye | maghonām | stotṝṇām | ca | spūrdhase
44
4 x ~11 syllables
Architectonic and declarative; supports the theme of ‘measure’ and ‘setting’ the hymn.
Strengthens precision and resolve; gives the feeling of building a stable inner structure.
- उपमम् (upa-mam)
- Literal: Comparable, fitting, well-measured. Symbolic: Right measure of mantra—exact formation matching the truth
- धेयाम् (dheyām)
- Literal: May I place/set. Symbolic: To establish a stable inner formation (mantric structure) in consciousness
- क्षये (kṣaye)
- Literal: In the dwelling/abode. Symbolic: In the settled field of the being—inner home where forces contend
- मघोनाम् (maghonām)
- Literal: Of the bounteous/wealthy. Symbolic: Those rich in inner force, generosity, and spiritual plenty
- स्तोतॄणाम् (stotṝṇām)
- Literal: Of the praisers/singers. Symbolic: Aspiring faculties that articulate the soul’s call
- स्पूर्धसे (spūrdhase)
- Literal: You contend/strive. Symbolic: Active divine effort against resistance; inner battle for order
Mantra as ‘right-measured’ formulation in praise; supports the sacrificial act of establishing ṛta in the kṣaya (dwelling/community), hence used where social-cosmic order is invoked
When establishing the hymn-sequence for Mitra–Varuṇa; before offerings requiring order/purity.
Recitation as offering of speech; mental consecration of one’s words and intentions.
Use as a ‘speech purification’ mantra before teaching, writing, or difficult dialogue—asking for right measure and inner truth.
upamá: from upa- + √mā ‘measure’ → ‘measured near/according’, hence ‘appropriate, fitting’. The mantra must be ‘right-measured’ to carry ṛta. dheyām: optative of √dhā ‘set, place’; psychologically, establishing the hymn as a stable formation in mind/heart. maghá/maghón: ‘gift, bounty, power of giving’; inner sense: plenitude of force and capacity. spūrdhase: √spṛdh ‘strive, contend’; here not hostility but divine exertion to secure the right state (kṣaya) for the generous and the singers.
Ṛta as measure (mā), Speech-act efficacy (ṛc as force), Plenitude (maghá)
Right measure (upama) is ṛta in speech; the gods’ ‘striving’ is maintenance of ṛta against entropy.
Truth expressed with proportion becomes effective; satya is performative power when aligned.
Creation through measured word: mantra establishes a dwelling of order in consciousness.
Vedic theory of mantra (vāc as shaping force), aligned with Aurobindo’s ‘mantra as consciousness-formation’.
Dwelling = inner home (stable consciousness); measure = right formation; striving = tapas-like effort of the gods within.
- What is the primary Vedic 'mythologem' present in this verse?
- The mythologem of ‘measured speech’ sustaining cosmic order: the seer ‘sets’ (√dhā) an upamá ṛc, and the gods ‘strive’ (√spṛdh) in the kṣaya to uphold the conditions of plenitude and right praise. The divine action is governance-through-order, not conquest.
- How does the linguistic structure reflect Proto-Indo-European roots?
- √mā ‘measure’ is a central IE sacral-technical root (cf. Latin metiri, Greek métron), showing the archaic link between measure, truth, and right ritual speech. √dhā ‘set’ (cf. Greek títhēmi) encodes the performative founding of reality through utterance.
- What is the relationship between the Rishi and the Devata here?
- The r̥ṣi offers a properly measured formation of speech; the devatā reciprocate by exerting force to stabilize the ‘dwelling’ for those who embody generosity and aspiration. The exchange is: right speech for right world.
Consecrate speech: let words arise from quiet truth rather than impulse; feel mantra as a ‘placed’ structure in the mind.
Viśuddha (speech purification)
Ujjāyī (very mild) to steady voice; chant with even pacing across four pādas.
Collected, precise, empowered calm.
Before speaking: chant 3 times; pause; ask inwardly, ‘Is this upama—true and proportionate?’ Speak only after the inner yes.
Follow Vedic accents; keep the dual name ‘mitrāvaruṇā’ smoothly joined; emphasize pāda cadence typical of triṣṭubh.
Mark clear pāda pauses; let ‘upamaṃ’ receive a gentle prominence as the thematic word.
yuvābhyām: ‘yuvā’ smooth; ‘bhyām’ with clear aspiration, mitrāvaruṇā: long ā; retroflex ṇ, dheyām: long ‘e/eyā’ articulation, spūrdhase: long ‘ū’; dental ‘dh’
Measured, articulate, slightly authoritative.
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